June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Republican Kevin McCarthy has a
clear path toward succeeding Representative Eric Cantor as U.S.
House majority leader after two top contenders withdrew their
names from contention for the post.

Representatives Pete Sessions and Jeb Hensarling, both
Texas Republicans, said separately today that they wouldn’t
pursue the No. 2 position in the House. The sudden opening in
one of the most influential jobs in Washington stems from
Cantor’s surprise loss in a June 10 primary contest in his home
district in Virginia.

Cantor announced yesterday he will step down from the
leadership job on July 31, and House Republicans scheduled a
June 19 vote to fill the post. Sessions said tonight he decided
against seeking it after consulting with party colleagues.

“It became obvious to me that the measures necessary to
run a successful campaign would have created unnecessary and
painful division within our party,” Sessions said in the
statement. “At this critical time, we must remain unified.”

Cantor, seeking nomination to an eighth two-year term, lost
his primary to a Tea Party-backed candidate. His defeat fueled
concerns among Republicans that a messy succession fight,
especially one that pits House leaders against the Tea Party,
risked undermining the party’s strength.

Representative Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican
backing the 49-year-old McCarthy, said earlier today that
McCarthy has enough support to win.

“It’s over,” McHenry said.

Hensarling, who enjoys support among the limited-government
Tea Party movement, announced his decision not to challenge
McCarthy earlier today.

Vote Counting

House Speaker John Boehner has called on his caucus to use
the choice for a new majority leader as an opportunity for
unity. A bitter contest for the post could expose the political
divisions within the party that controls the House as candidates
head into midterm elections.

“It’s important that we resolve this issue in a fair
amount of time,” said Boehner, an Ohio Republican.

Boehner hasn’t publicly backed a candidate. He told
reporters today, “I can work with whoever they select.”

Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican 2012
vice presidential nominee, decided to support McCarthy following
Hensarling’s announcement, said a Republican aide who asked for
anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Majority Whip

A McCarthy victory would open up a race for majority whip,
the No. 3 leadership position McCarthy now holds. The whip is
responsible for counting votes and “whipping” up support for
legislation.

At least three Republicans are seeking that position: Peter
Roskam of Illinois, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Marlin
Stutzman of Indiana.

Roskam, 52, was elected to the House in 2006 and has been
chief deputy whip since 2011.

Scalise, 48, is chairman of the Republican Study Committee,
a group of lawmakers that backs policies designed to appeal to
the party’s base, including budget cuts and replacements for
Obamacare.

Stutzman, 37, was elected in 2010, when a wave of Tea Party
candidates helped Republicans win the House majority. He was
ultimately unsuccessful in a push to separate food-stamp policy
from agriculture subsidies in the farm bill, which would have
broken up a decades-old political alliance.

‘Very Aggressive’

Lucas said he saw McCarthy, “in a very aggressive fashion,
work the floor yesterday, all day long.” Based on “the
expression on his face, he seems to be in a great state of
mind,” Lucas said.

Republicans expect to hold control of the House in
November’s general elections and are seeking to gain a Senate
majority.

“Although I am humbled by the calls, e-mails, and
conversations from my colleagues encouraging me to return to
leadership for the remainder of the 113th Congress, I will not
be a candidate for majority leader next week,” Hensarling,
chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said in a
statement released by his office today.